Let’s talk about how to hire a real estate assistant. The hiring process has many layers — all of which are covered in our online course, Hire: The Complete Hiring Process for Real Estate Agents. Today, we are going to talk specifically about what happens after you receive applications, review them, and make your hire. Now what?
The rule of thumb for real estate agents is to hire an administrative assistant once you hit 30 transactions in a year. Once you hit 30, it becomes hard to service your current business while continuing your vital lead generation activities. This can ultimately stunt your growth, or even move you backwards. You’ll start to feel it as you get close to that point. If you want to continue to grow your production, you’ll need to know how to hire a real estate assistant.
Once you post your job online (Indeed.com, Facebook Marketplace, other local job boards), the applications will flow in. If you follow the process outline in the Hire course, you’ll know that you should use the DISC assessment to narrow down your candidates. You’ll want an S-C behavioral profile, so you can weed out everyone that doesn’t fit those parameters. After you have narrowed your candidate list down, it will be time to set up your phone interviews. (For the complete hiring process and resources to help you along the way, be sure to check out the Hire online course.) After the phone interview comes the in-person interview for the remaining candidates.
Now, you’ve chosen your favorite candidate and need to make them an offer they can’t refuse. What should you consider as you make this final selection?
When you think about the tasks that a real estate administrative assistant will be doing, there are pros to having your admin licensed as a real estate agent. I think it’s a great idea to have an assistant that is licensed. However, remember that they don’t need to be licensed necessarily upon hire. You can begin to train them, and they can get their license as they work for you.
One concern that some teams have is that if the admin has their license, what should prevent them from moving on to a sales position? Well, most great admin hires are S-C behaviors. This type of behavioral profile is not the type of person that wants to be a salesperson. So it is very rare that an admin with an S-C behavior will want to become a practicing real estate agent. You want an administrative assistant that likes the job and does not want to get into sales.
It’s a great idea to have a licensed administrative assistant because not only does it provide them with more knowledge in general, it also allows them to do more for you. This will give you better work/life balance, and make them a more valuable asset to your team. Now they can cover for you and show a property, use a lockbox, open the door and let an inspector in, etc. All that being said, it is absolutely not necessary that your administrative assistant has a license. When you consider how to hire a real estate assistant, just remember that having a license is not make or break.
We’ve talked a bit about the DISC behavioral assessment in this blog. To learn more about how the DISC behavioral assessment works, here are a few helpful articles (and a link to our helpful online course on the DISC):
This blog is only the tip of the iceberg. To really dive in and learn the complete process of hiring, be sure to check out our robust online course. Click the link below.
Once you hire your favorite candidate, it’s time to get them set up as an employee. To most real estate agents, this is new territory, and it brings up a lot of questions. What liability do I have? How exactly do I pay them? Do I need to pay benefits? (Quick disclosure: though I am a licensed attorney (not currently practicing), this is NOT legal advice. I have coached and consulted with many people on how to hire a real estate assistant. I will provide advice as a real estate coach — not as an attorney.) There are a few things to consider.
When learning how to hire a real estate assistant, you must consider your return on investment (ROI). In general, the rule of thumb is that you should make a 3:1 return on your investment. Your income should increase by at least three times the amount you are paying your assistant to make it worthwhile. As I mentioned before, you should also be at the production level of about 30-40 sides per year.
Growth doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Get an ICC coach in your corner to help you grow smart. Reach out today and book a free consultation call.
